Contributed Photo
The Nueces County Sheriff's Employee Association collected more than 2,000 stuffed animals in three days for the families and community of Newtown, Conn.

Contributed Photo
The Nueces County Sheriff's Employee Association will take monetary and stuffed animal donations until Wednesday.

CORPUS CHRISTI - More than 2,000 teddy bears will make their way from Nueces County to Newtown, Conn., next week for the children, families and community members affected by the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.

The Nueces County Sheriff's Employee Association is holding a Bears of Care drive to send new or gently used teddy bears to the community.

"Just like most Americans, when I heard the news I was impacted, mainly as a parent," said Cynthia Martinez, the sheriff department's office manager who presented the drive idea to the association. "I was just feeling the need to do something to ease that pain."

The office chose to donate teddy bears because they represent comfort and relief.

Newtown has been in mourning since Dec. 14 when a 20-year-old man killed his mother, then 20 students and six adults at Sandy Hook Elementary before killing himself.

The stuffed toys can be dropped off until the end of the day Wednesday at either the Nueces County Courthouse or at the Nueces County Sheriff's Office. Both locations will be closed Christmas Eve and Christmas but will reopen Wednesday.

"A lot of people wanted to do something, and this is the opportunity to make them feel involved," Martinez said.

The office's training Sgt. Eric Gonzalez is raising funds to ship the bears directly to victims' family members and the school the children were moved to after the shooting. He said the bears will get to Newtown one way or another.

"If someone donated a U-Haul, we'll drive them up there if we have to," Gonzalez said.

Martinez said she hopes the bears show the Newtown community that they are not alone.

"We're mourning with them," she said. "Even as far south as we are, they're in our hearts and prayers."